Chair for paralytics



Sept. 28, 1954 F. MARY 2,690,208

CHAIR FOR PARALYTICS Filed July 17, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 1 mvf/vrafl FRAN us may .3)

A TTORNEY Sept. 28, IF. MARY 'CHAIR FOR PARALYTICS Fild July 17, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 2 RAN IS MARY INVEIVIWR er HAS: LT/A/,LAKE co,

Sept. 28, 1954' F. MARY 2,690,208

CHAIR FOR PARALYTICS Filed July 17, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 3 M/VENTU/i F RANczs MARY ATTORNEY Sept. 28, 1954 F. MARY 2,690,208

CHAIR FOR PARALYTICS Filed July 17, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 4 FRA NCj'S MAR) awn/r01? "h /Mama, wa Co.

ATTORNEY Sept. 28, 1954 F. MARY 2,690,208

CHAIR FOR PARALYTICS Filed July 17, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 5 FRANCIS MR) mvmran ammsiLT/A/gmnncq ATTORNEY Sept. 28, 1954 F. MARY 2,690,208

CHAIR FOR PARALYTICS Filed July 17, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 6 FRAN arc MAR) M th/7'0]? r HASELTINE, um: mo.

ATTORNEY Sept. 28, 1954 F. MARY 2,690,208

' CHAIR FOR PARALYTICS Filed July 17, 1951 7 Sheets-Sheet 7 l/IVEIVTUR F RA N 015 MAR) Patented Sept. 28, 1954 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 6 Claims.

The present invention relates to chairs for paralytics who cannot use their legs but can make use at least partly of their arms.

The object of my invention is to provide a chair of this kind which is better adapted to meet the requirements of practice than those used up tothe present time and in particular which enables the paralytic to change himself his position in said chair and to pass from a seated or recumbent position into an upright position where he can generally move by means of crutches, sticks or the like.

Preferred embodiments of my invention will be hereinafter described with reference to the accompanying drawings, given merely by way of example, and in which:

Fig. 1 is a general perspective view of a chair according to my invention;

Fig. 2 is a diagrammatic side view showing the elbow rests and the back of the chair;

Fig. 3 is a similar view showing the seat;

Fig. 4 is a similar view showing more especially the back and the head rest of the chair;

Fig. 5 is a similar view showing more especially the foot rest;

Fig. 6 is a view of the elbow rests, the seat and the foot rest;

Figs. 7 and 8 are detail views showing transmissions to be used in the arm chair according to my invention;

Figs. 9 to 13 are diagrammatic views illustrating different positions of the paralytic on the chair according to my invention.

Fig. 14 is a view from the rear of the chair shown by Fig. 1.

According to the embodiment shown by the drawing, the chair according to my invention essentially includes a frame 3w--3b-3c-3d, a seat I, and two elbow rests 2af-2b rigid together.

The frame is essentially constituted by four feet 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, two of which, to wit 3a. and 3c, are oblique with respect to the ground, said feet being connected together by bracing members 4a and 4b.

Each of the elbow rests 2a, 2b is supported by the frame through two parallel arms, to wit 6411 and 6121 for elbow rests 2a, and 60a and 6112 for elbow rest 2b, the tops of the two parallel arms 6m and 6121 being pivoted to a part 5a1 rigid with elbow rest 2a and the tops of the two parallel arms Bag and 6b2 being pivoted to a part 5a2 rigid with elbow rest 21). The bottom ends of arms 6m and 6:12 are interconnected by a cross piece Gag integral therewith andthe bottom ends of arms 6121 and 6b; are interconnected by across piece 6173 integral therewith, these cross pieces 6a: and 6M being journalled in the frame so that arms 6m, 5m and 6b1 form three sides of a parallelogram while, similarly, arms Ga 5002 and 6172 form three sides of a parallelogram located in a plane parallel to the first one.

Owing to this arrangement, the elbow rests can be raised from the position shown by Figs. 9 and 10 to that shown by Fig. 12, the difierence of level thus obtained being equal to the length of each of the arms 6111, 6111,. Baa, 6172.

My chair includes means for locking the elbow rests in any of a plurality of different positions and resilient return means urging the elbow rests upwardly when they are released by said locking means.

The locking means include a. pawl la pivoted to the frame at 8a and cooperating with a toothed sector 9a rigid with one of the arms 6m, 6121, for instance with 61:1. Pawl la is urged by a spring 10a toward its position of engagement with sector 9a.

Pawl la is controlled by the paralytic through a transmission provided between said pawl and one of the elbow rests, where the control member is constituted by a push-button Ha. Advantage'ously, this transmission is of the Bowden cable type, including, as shown by Fig. 8, a flexible sheath lZa fixed at one end to said pushbutton Ha and at the other end to a. part Him rigid with the frame and a cable [3a slidable in said sheath and fixed at one end to a part I5 rigid with the elbow rest 20, and at the other end to pawl 1a.

It should be noted that Fig. 8 shows modifications of construction as compared with that of Fig. 2.

First, in the construction of Fig. 8, rack 91 is rectilinear.

Secondly, the pawl, instead of being made of a single piece, includes a spindle I6 journalled in two ball bearings Ila, l'lb, so that it is easier to withdraw said spindle from the interval between two teeth of rack 9a.

The resilient return means for urging the elbow rests upwardly are constituted, in the example shown by the drawing, by a spring I0 111- terposed between the frame and arm 6m.

I will now describe the mounting of the seat I of the chair.

This seat is connected with the frame by means. of two pairs of parallel arms 20a, 20?) the lower ends of which are pivoted to the frame about axes such, for instance, as those of tubes 611a andv 15b3, respectively. The top end of arm 20b is pivotally connected with seat I about an axis parallel to the above mentioned axes. The top end of arm 20a is pivotally connected, about an axis parallel to the above mentioned ones, either directly to seat I as shown by Fig. 3 or to an arm 20c rigid with said seat as shown by Fig. 1.

This seat supporting device is provided with resilient return means for urging the seat upwardly and, constituted by a spring 21a or 2H). Spring 21b is mounted in a manner similar to sprin I8 above referred to for urging the elbow rests upwardly. But it must be stronger, so as to compensate, at least partly, for the weight of the paralytic.

The means for locking the seat in any of a plurality of different positions are controlled by a push-button llb carried by elbow rest 22) and acting upon a pawl lb pivoted at 81) to the frame and cooperating with a toothed sector 91) rigid with arm 201). This pawl is urged toward sector 9b by a spring lllb. The transmission between push-button I lb and pawl lb is analogous to that above described and includes a sheath l2?) and a cable l3b.

Abutments are provided for limiting the displacements of seat i and elbow rests 2a-2b.

In order to adjust the height of the seat and elbow rests, the paralytic acts as follows:

If it is supposed that initially the paralytic is seated in the position shown by Fig. 10, he first lifts his arms from the elbow rests, then he pushes for a short time push-button Ha. Under the effect of spring [8, the elbow rests rise above their initial level. They are locked in this position when push-button I la is released. The paralytic then applies his arms on the elbow rests and shifts a great part of his weight from the seat to the elbow rests. He then pushes push-button Ilb. Under the action of spring 2la or 2lb, the seat is lifted and for instance restored to the relative position it occupied initially with respect to the elbow rests. It suffices to repeat this succession of operations a suiiicient number of times to bring the seat from the position of Fig. 10 to that of Fig. 11 and finally to that ofFig. 12. When the seat is in this position, the back of the paralytic is at the height it occupies when he is standing upright so that he can leave his chair with the minimum of difiiculty.

In order to prevent any risk of the paralytic losing his balance when he is going to leave the chair, the upper part of the seat carries a frontward projection 22 on which the paralytic can support himself astride, somewhat as on the saddle of a bicycle.

Advantageously, as shown by the drawing, the back 23 of the chair is pivoted at 24 to the elbow rests (Figs. 1 and 4). This back 23 can be more or less inclined by means of a lever 25. A spring 23 urges the back 23 frontwardly and locking means are provided for holding it in the desired position. Said locking means may be constituted by a pawl pivoted to lever 2'5 and cooperating with a toothed sector rigid with elbow rest 2a.

However, preferably, according to the construction illustrated by Figs. 1 and '7, the inclination of the back. 23 is controlled, through a Bowden device lie-430, from a push-button He slidable in lever 25 so as to operate a pawl 10, as shown by Fig. 7.

This pawl includes a roller lGa and turns about an axis 80, a spring we urging said pawl toward engagement with toothed sector 90.

The respective ends of cable 13c are fixed by means of screws lie and b. One end of sheath 4 is fixed to push-button Ho and the other end to pawl 1c.

Back part 23 carries a head rest 28 pivotable with respect to said seat.

To control the position of said head rest, I provide a lever 25a pivoted to the back part 23 and carrying a pawl 1d adapted to cooperate with a toothed sector 9d fixed with respect to the back. This pawl can be disengaged from this toothed sector by means of a device analogous to that shown by Fig. '7 and controlled by a pushbutton Nd. A finger 3B rigid with lever 25a serves to pull a chain 3| passing around a toothed pinion '33 rigid with the head rest 28, the ends of said chain being secured to springs 32a and 32b fixed to the back part 23. Spring 32a serves merely to stretch the chain, whereas spring 32b is stronger.

The arm chair according to my invention includes another movable structure, to wit a foot rest. This foot rest is supported by an arm 36 pivoted to the frame about an axis 31. Arm 36 can be retracted under the seat. It is controlled by means of a crank lever 38-39 pivoted to the frame at 4| and the end 42 of which is connected to a point 43 of arm 36 by a link 49. This system is arranged in such manner that for a given effort exerted on handle 38, the force applied to arm 36 is the greater as said arm is getting nearer to the horizontal position.

Arm 3% can be locked in any of a plurality of positions by means of a pawl 38c carried by lever 38 and cooperating with a toothed sector 9e carried by the frame and controlled through a pushbutton He, and a spring 44 urges lever arm 39 toward the horizontal position.

Arm 36 carries the foot rest structure, constituted by a bar 45 and heel supports 26, arranged to maintain the feet in position thereon. This foot rest structure is pivotable about a spindle 47 and it is urged by a spring 48 secured to a part rigid with arm 36 toward a position of rest.

In order to use the foot rest, the paralytic brings, by means of handle 38, arm 36 from the retracted position 36a (Fig. 5) into a position for which heel supports 46 are substantially vertical. Supporting himself on his arms, he places his feet in their supports. Then, he again operates handle 38 to move arm 35 upwardly, for instance, if so desired, into a substantially horizontal position as shown by Fig. 9.

My chair is mostly constituted by steel tube elements. Such elements may serve to house the Bowden cable transmissions.

Of course, the maximum and/or minimum levels of the seat may be adjusted, in particular according to the size-of the paralytic, for instance by means of telescopic elements.

The resilient return means may be provided either with brakes or with means for supplying additional energy, such as a hydropneumatic piston.

The chair according to my invention may further carry pedal training means such as diagrammatically shown by Fig. 13.

In a general manner, while I have, in the above description, disclosed what I deem to be practical and efficient embodiments of my invention, it should be well understood that I do not wish to be limited thereto as there might be changes made in the arrangement, disposition and form of the parts without departing from the principle of the present invention as com prehended within the scope of the accompany- 1118 claims.

What I claim is:

1. A chair for paralytics which comprises, in combination, a frame adapted to rest on the ground, a seat carried by said frame and movable upwardly and downwardly with respect thereto, two elbow rests carried by said frame and movable as a whole upwardly and downwardly with respect thereto, independently of the upward and downward movements of said seat, resilient means for urging said seat upwardly, means for locking said seat at any of a plurality of different levels with respect to said frame, means, including a control member carried by said chair within reach of the paralytic, for operating said locking member, resilient means for urging said elbow rests upwardly, means for locking said elbow rests at any of a plurality of different levels with respect to said frame, and means, including a control member carried by said chair within reach of the paralytic, for operating said last mentioned locking means.

2. A chair according to claim 1 further including a back pivoted to said elbow rests about a transverse horizontal axis, elastic means for urging said back toward upright position, and means operative by the paralytic for locking said back with respect to said elbow rests in any of a plurality of diiferent positions.

' 3. A chair according to claim 1 further in--, cluding a back pivoted to said elbow rests about 30 a transverse horizontal axis, elastic means for urging said back toward upright position, means operative by the paralytic for locking said back with respect to said elbow rests in any of a plurality of difierent positions, a head rest pivoted to the top part of said back about a transverse horizontal axis, elastic means for urging said head rest upwardly, and means operative by the paralytic for locking said head rest with respect to said back.

4. A chair according to claim 1 further including a foot rest pivoted to said frame about a transverse horizontal axis, and means operative by the paralytic for adjusting the position of said foot rest with respect to said frame.

5. A chair according to claim 1 further including a frontward projection carried by the front edge of said seat at the middle thereof, for supporting temporarily the paralytic astride thereon.

6. A chair according to claim 1 in which said seat and said elbow rests are connected with said frame each through two pairs of parallel links.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 289,743 Young Dec. 4, 1883 2,527,905 Barecki Oct. 31, 1950 

